1316 replies to this topic

[Chris B]

Sorry all, been a busy day getting back to Xavier from spring break and I won't be able to do a recap of today, but I'm sure everyone knows the outcomes.

[SportsGuy]

Not a fan of Duke potentially playing Xavier but this Xavier team isn't as athletic on the wings as they usually are. Holloway will have a big day but I am not sure he can do It by himself.

[SportsGuy]

Just did my bracket:

UNC, Kentucky, Memphis and Ohio ST in final 4....UNC over Kentucky for title.

Upsets:

Memphis in final four
NM St over Ind
LBSU in sweet 16
Iona in sweet 16
Florida in elite 8
Ohio over Mich
Cal in sweet 16
Texas over Cincy
Vandy in elite 8
Davidson over Louisville

Had Baylor beating Duke...think UNLV may beat Duke too...bad matchup for Duke with either.

[Mackus]

I'm pretty annoyed with this bracket. I did more early scouting than I usually do, watching some smaller conference championships and reading up on other teams, but that's all gonna be for nothing because pretty much every "sleeper" type team that I like is either a) playing another one of the sleep teams I like (Wichita St v VCU, Memphis v St Louis) or running into a top 4/5 team that I think is actually really good and could go very deep (Georgetown v Belmont, Detroit v Kansas, LB St v New Mexico).

Still though, I can't wait. Got a group of about 5 friends who are taking off both Thursday and Friday. Gonna be a nice little basketball bender over the long weekend, plus we're golfing early Friday morning and then St Patty's day mayhem on Saturday. Gonna be awesome!

[SportsGuy]

Fab Melo declared ineligible. Huge news.

[Mackus]

I was wavering off of Syracuse as my champion even before this news broke. I've liked them all year but they haven't been playing as well down the stretch, still winning but not by as much as you'd like to see (although being able to finish out close games is a skill). Melo being out doesn't kill them offensively, but he's the key to their defense.

I think I'm gonna have to revisit who I think wins the whole thing. Syracuse without their best defensive player. Kentucky with a coach who loves to lose big games on the bench. Or any of the other, clearly inferior teams.

[bnickle]

Cuse could still get to the Final FOur if they don;t have to beat OSU. I think Ohio State would beat them. Still, hard to have them past Sweet 16 at this point. They were already getting beat up on the boards and allowing too many 2nd chance points. It only gets worse with Melo out. I think Wisconsin may get them in the ROund of 16. Also, don't be surprised if UNC Ashville plays them really tough in ROund 1.

[Chris B]

How about the WKU-MVSU game?

Hilltoppers down 16 with 5 to go and they storm back to win by one. Went on a 22-8 run to finish the game.

BYU is having a comeback of its own vs. Iona.

[Chris B]

Controversy galore at the end of that Syracuse-UNC Asheville game.

Your thoughts?

[Chris B]

Really boring first day of March Madness, if my opinion counts for anything. VCU the only upset thus far.

[BSLChrisStoner]

I'm interested by a couple of the early games today.

Cincinnati / Texas could be fun.

I want to see which NCST team shows up. If Leslie plays for all 40 mts, I'd expect them to win vs. SDSU.

Alabama crushed Maryland earlier in the year. The Terps were playing without Howard, and Len (and dealing with Faust at the PG), but Alabama showed plus athleticism. Creighton is typically a dangerous opponent.

I don't believe in UVA at all. I think they have 1 talented player, and an occasional weapon from outside who gets overwhelmed against athletic guards. I expect Florida to win that one.

[mweb08]

Really boring first day of March Madness, if my opinion counts for anything. VCU the only upset thus far.

Bill Simmons called it March Blandness.

Now the Bama-Creighton game was very good, with the former getting screwed over by the refs on the last play.

[mweb08]

However, that use of a timeout screwed themselves out of a potentially good shot attempt.

[BSLChrisStoner]

Really boring first day of March Madness, if my opinion counts for anything. VCU the only upset thus far.

A little more interesting on Day 2!

[BSLChrisStoner]

NBC Sports / College Basketball Talk: Previewing Day 3 of the NCAA T
http://collegebasket...t-the-sweet-16/

Most intriguing matchup

5:15 pm ET, CBS, No. 3 Marquette vs. No. 6 Murray State, Louisville: The key to this game lies in the location: Louisville. Murray State is in Kentucky. This game will be played right before the Kentucky game. In other words, this will be a home game for the Racers, and we all know the issues that Marquette has had on the road this season.

But the intrigue in this game goes well beyond the location. Marquette is as good as any team in the country in transition. They like to press in the full-court and make the game ragged. The problem? Murray State can play at that pace, and they have the athleticism on their front line to take away some of the advantage that Jae Crowder’s mismatch provides. But Murray State doesn’t have anyone capable of guarding Davonte Gardner. Marquette isn’t as effective when the big fella is on the floor, but he will be the guy that creates the mismatch in this game.

Upsets on the horizon?

12:15 pm ET, CBS, No. 1 Syracuse vs. No. 8 Kansas State, Pittsburgh: Syracuse looked terrible against UNC-Asheville on Thursday, and it wasn’t simply because Fab Melo was out of the lineup. The Orange simply did not appear to be into the game. Even without Melo, Syracuse has the pieces to beat the Wildcats — the defensive pressure that their back court can provide will wreak havoc on Angel Rodriguez and Will Spradling — even if Kansas State gets 25 offensive rebounds. But will they show up?

7:10 pm ET, TBS, No. 4 Indiana vs. No. 12 VCU, Portland: At this point, any time VCU steps on the court, they should be considered an upset threat. That said, this matchup is particularly intriguing. The Rams fun one of the fiercest, most aggressive and most effective presses in the country. Can IU’s back court — Jordy Hulls and Victor Oladipo — handle it?

7:45 pm ET, CBS, No. 1 Kentucky vs. No. 8 Iowa State, Louisville: Iowa State is such a unique team. With a 6’9″, 270lb forward running the point and the number of excellent shooters the perimeter, the Cyclones are a matchup nightmare. Who guards Royce White? Does Anthony Davis get drawn out onto the perimeter? Having said that … how does Iowa State matchup with Kentucky? Regardless, if the Cyclones are hitting their threes and White is playing well, this could get interesting. It is also worth noting that White very nearly became a Wildcat before he enrolled at Iowa State.

Story lines to keep an eye on

2:45 pm ET, CBS, No. 2 Ohio State vs. No. 7 Gonzaga, Pittsburgh: The Zags actually matchup pretty well with Gonzaga. They have a big body inside, they have an athlete at the four to matchup with Deshaun Thomas and they have high-level wings that will really defend William Buford and Lenzelle Smith. Can Aaron Craft slow down Kevin Pangos?

6:10 pm ET, TNT, No. 4 Wisconsin vs. No. 5 Vanderbilt, Albuquerque: Vanderbilt has been a team snake-bitten in the NCAA tournament in recent year. For the first time since any Commodore has been on campus, they’ve won a game in the NCAA Tournament. Can they keep the run going?

8:40 pm ET, TNT, No. 3 Baylor vs. No. 11 Colorado, Albuquerque: It’s weird to think about the fact that a team from the Pac-12 is a cinderella, but that is exactly what the Buffaloes are. It’s weirder to think that the Bears, if they are to make the Elite 8, will do so without beating a single-digit seed. It would make anything less even more disappointing.

9:40 pm ET, TBS, No. 4 Louisville vs. No. 5 New Mexico, Portland: Louisville has been a team that has disappointed this season, but they’ve caught fire at the right time, particularly Peyton Siva. The Cardinals are playing stifling defense as well, particularly at the three-point line. New Mexico takes a lot of threes. The Lobos also happen to be the last MWC team remaining in the tournament.

[Chris B]

There was nothing better than beating Notre Dame in the wee hours of St. Patrick's Day.

[Chris B]

Barnburner in Greensboro right now.

UNC is up 39-24 with 5:29 to go in the first half. Tarheels are shooting 70%.

[BSLChrisStoner]

Not a Carolina fan, but I feel horrible for them having to suffer the Kendall Marshall injury now. That is just unfortunate for all involved.

[Chris B]

If UC wins this, 25% of the Sweet 16 will be represented by the State of Ohio. 7-0 in the tournament.

Great comeback win. Kenny Frease had the game of his life with 25 points and 12 boards. He needed it since Mark Lyons had a disappointing game and Dez Wells got hurt early and did not return. Just a rollercoaster of a season after the brawl and it's great to be back at the Sweet 16. Only one of four teams to make it 4 of five seasons to the Sweet 16. X, UNC, Michigan St., and Kansas. Great company if I say so myself.

I'll enjoy it for now, but it's on to Baylor. Not sure how we'll beat Baylor though. Not a good matchup.

[Chris B]

By the way...

Jeff Goodman ‏ @GoodmanCBS
My guy @GaryParrishCBS just broke news - per source - Kendall Marshall will have surgery Monday on his wrist. Unlikely to play in Sweet 16.